Half of the world's population are now urban dwellers and are becoming increasingly isolated from the countryside. The authors of this large book provide perspectives from architecture, city planning, policy-making, design, sociology, transport, health, environmental pollution, water supply, waste disposal, fuel supply and city governance – all of which they argue are major issues in ensuring food for the residents of modern cities. The book describes an almost total absence of food planning on the part of the professionals in these areas of urban development. The authors argue that this must change and provide much information and many examples on how a better way forward can be achieved. The book focuses upon cities in the Western world, while the megacities of developing countries are exploding in size and are in desperate need of planning. From this well-written book, urban planners in the developing world can learn how to avoid mistakes and to make food supply a major component of sustainable urban planning, thus greatly improving the quality of life for people isolated from the countryside.